As sad as it is, I understand that a company may want to let a 60-something employee go because they can hire a more productive person for a much lower wage. But why don't they at least consider offering the 60-something employee their same job at a lower wage? Many of us would have been happy to have taken even a 50% pay cut to have some form of employment and health insurance over having nothing and no future.
5
Is it any wonder people are discouraged when face each day with the news of a world crumbling piece by piece and the lack of resolve to do anything constructive about it. Think of the areas of the world at war, endless war, that in it's own way contributes to the feelings of despair we feel. Think of the US Government and the total lack of confidence we feel in those people. Think of the last two Presidents and their failure to do anything to promote peace in the world, always listening to the siren song of the "generals.' Then there is the horrible Ebola epidemic coming out of the place most unable to handle it and the threat it presented. Climate change is here and it is waking us up to the fact that we could all be destroyed slowly. I will not go on and on about all these factors in our mood. Each person must find something that matters to them and make that their reason d'etre for each day instead of drowning in misery.
As Ellen K said so eloquently in the preceding article
"Look at our education system. As a teacher I can tell you that the curriculum and methodology of education is oriented toward collaborative learning-something boys are not hardwired to do. Boys are many times more likely to be labeled as learning disabled, behaviorally impaired, at risk or mentally ill for what is really just normal boy kid behavior. We have more females than males in college. We have more males involved in gangs, drugs, and young men are far more likely to attempt suicide. We have taken away vocational education-like we don't need machinists, plumbers, mechanics and techs-when those were the jobs boys and girls could do right out of high school and make a decent living. Last time I was able to afford to take my car to the shop I paid more for repairs than I did for my own last check up. We have abandoned boys and they are falling through the cracks. You can throw all the technological toys, STEM learning and Common Core you want at them, the schools have failed. "
Our boys are thrown aside in our schools, and go on to get less than 40% of college degrees. When they don't act like "nice, good" girls, they are force-fed Ritalin. We have dropped phys ed and even recess in many places, so when they act like normal, energetic boys, they are in trouble.
If the genders were reversed on these statistics, we'd be doing something to help the girls effected in this way.
Why aren't we helping our boys?
"Look at our education system. As a teacher I can tell you that the curriculum and methodology of education is oriented toward collaborative learning-something boys are not hardwired to do. Boys are many times more likely to be labeled as learning disabled, behaviorally impaired, at risk or mentally ill for what is really just normal boy kid behavior. We have more females than males in college. We have more males involved in gangs, drugs, and young men are far more likely to attempt suicide. We have taken away vocational education-like we don't need machinists, plumbers, mechanics and techs-when those were the jobs boys and girls could do right out of high school and make a decent living. Last time I was able to afford to take my car to the shop I paid more for repairs than I did for my own last check up. We have abandoned boys and they are falling through the cracks. You can throw all the technological toys, STEM learning and Common Core you want at them, the schools have failed. "
Our boys are thrown aside in our schools, and go on to get less than 40% of college degrees. When they don't act like "nice, good" girls, they are force-fed Ritalin. We have dropped phys ed and even recess in many places, so when they act like normal, energetic boys, they are in trouble.
If the genders were reversed on these statistics, we'd be doing something to help the girls effected in this way.
Why aren't we helping our boys?
10
I think the most under reported story of the past 25 years is the divergence of private and public sector employment. While there are a limited number of financial types in the tri state area making millions, the vast number of people in the country are in manufacturing, construction, IT, sales, pharma and other industries that have been devastated by foreign compeition, outsourcing, technology and the internet. I know so many working for less than ever, paying their own health care, retirement etc...many highly educated. On the other hand the lack of competition, technology replacement, outsourcing in govt and public ed has allowed the same 50 something to be usscathed, getting raises every year and keeping pensions; many mid level people in my circle are making 75-100k in stress free jobs,home by 6 and counting days to their pension. I don't know how we got this way or how it continues but the people I know in public employment experience none of the symptoms described in the article.
4
Consider the following 3 groups.
Group; Number of people as of 2013; Death rate change 2013 vs. 1998
(1) White non-Hispanic Females age 25 to 54; 38.5 Million; 16% INCREASE
(2) White non-Hispanic both sexes age 25 to 34; 24.3 Million; 21% INCREASE
(3) White non-Hispanic both sexes age 45 to 54, less than high school or high school only; 11.6 Million; 22% INCREASE
I am perplexed as to why Deaton and Case needed to drill down to education level to find a profound increase in death rate for a group of White non-Hispanic people. They focused on group 3, but why did they do that when groups 1 and 2 are substantially larger ?
Groups 1 and 2 in greater detail:
Group; Death rate per 100,000 in 2013; Death rate per 100,000 in 1998; Death rate change 2013 vs. 1998
White non-Hispanic Females age 25 to 34; 70.2; 57.9; 21% INCREASE
White non-Hispanic Females age 35 to 44; 138.6; 124.3; 12% INCREASE
White non-Hispanic Females age 45 to 54; 320.5; 277.4; 16% INCREASE
White non-Hispanic Males age 25 to 34; 149.9; 124.4; 21% INCREASE
Data is available to the public.
Health, United States, 2014. Table 23. Death rates for all causes, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age: United States, selected years 1950-2013
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/Health_US/hus14tables/table023.xls
Group; Number of people as of 2013; Death rate change 2013 vs. 1998
(1) White non-Hispanic Females age 25 to 54; 38.5 Million; 16% INCREASE
(2) White non-Hispanic both sexes age 25 to 34; 24.3 Million; 21% INCREASE
(3) White non-Hispanic both sexes age 45 to 54, less than high school or high school only; 11.6 Million; 22% INCREASE
I am perplexed as to why Deaton and Case needed to drill down to education level to find a profound increase in death rate for a group of White non-Hispanic people. They focused on group 3, but why did they do that when groups 1 and 2 are substantially larger ?
Groups 1 and 2 in greater detail:
Group; Death rate per 100,000 in 2013; Death rate per 100,000 in 1998; Death rate change 2013 vs. 1998
White non-Hispanic Females age 25 to 34; 70.2; 57.9; 21% INCREASE
White non-Hispanic Females age 35 to 44; 138.6; 124.3; 12% INCREASE
White non-Hispanic Females age 45 to 54; 320.5; 277.4; 16% INCREASE
White non-Hispanic Males age 25 to 34; 149.9; 124.4; 21% INCREASE
Data is available to the public.
Health, United States, 2014. Table 23. Death rates for all causes, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age: United States, selected years 1950-2013
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/Health_US/hus14tables/table023.xls
2
As my final submission I suggest that Sweden may have an experiment in progress resembling in some ways the experiment described in the Case-Deaton report. Each week the number of refugees coming mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq increases. In the past 7 days, 9,258 new arrivals have applied for asylum and of these, 2,164 were children each of whom came alone. Most of these children were from Afghanistan.
Most of these asylum seekers already have been experiencing traumatic events in the countries from which they came. And today, the Swedish government was forced to announce that it no longer can guarantee those who are en route any kind of housing.
So we have a brand new population group facing difficult years ahead. Given the high quality of Swedish databases, it will be possible to follow in detail the health of this group. Will it be possible for this group to match the health of the total present population as shown in figure 1 of the Case-Deaton report or will they follow a different trend, at worst like that for USW 45-54 y.
I meet new arrivals every week at the Linköping Red Cross, one of whom on Tuesday transferred a video from his phone to my phone, a video showing his small group including mother and baby making the small-boat trip from Turkey to Greece. I hope they all can merge in as concerns their physical and psychological health, but I wonder.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Most of these asylum seekers already have been experiencing traumatic events in the countries from which they came. And today, the Swedish government was forced to announce that it no longer can guarantee those who are en route any kind of housing.
So we have a brand new population group facing difficult years ahead. Given the high quality of Swedish databases, it will be possible to follow in detail the health of this group. Will it be possible for this group to match the health of the total present population as shown in figure 1 of the Case-Deaton report or will they follow a different trend, at worst like that for USW 45-54 y.
I meet new arrivals every week at the Linköping Red Cross, one of whom on Tuesday transferred a video from his phone to my phone, a video showing his small group including mother and baby making the small-boat trip from Turkey to Greece. I hope they all can merge in as concerns their physical and psychological health, but I wonder.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
3
There are, broadly speaking, two common factors that increase mortality among the group under discussion: lack of education and living in small towns (see NYT recent article on the geographical patterns of white mortality). So how about boredom as a proximate cause for despair and drug abuse? An uneducated person lives half-a-life, as so many wonders of science and art are a closed book to them (by uneducated I mean people without natural curiosity rather than without a college degree). And the life in small-town America fosters isolation, close-mindedness, obesity and dullness. Of course, there are uneducated people all over the world but in conservative America stupidity is considered a virtue - what with the railings about the "elites" and the distrust of everything sophisticated, cosmopolitan and foreign. Boredom kills; consider it when you encourage your child to go to church or play baseball instead of opening a book or surfing the Internet.
4
People: There are a host of ideas and solutions to these issues that we even used to do. Check out "The New Inequality--creating solutions for poor America" by Richard Freeman. Only 83 pages.
The core issue is that we have not invented a modern process for sharing in the total fruits of the country. (Socialism is not the answer.) That is the conversation that we desperately need to have. Because if this current inequality goes on and worsens, we will spiral downward into violence and societal insanity. Social Darwinism is not pretty.
I think we are better than that. Here is one method of having the needed conversations. Check out www.WiseDemocracy.org
The core issue is that we have not invented a modern process for sharing in the total fruits of the country. (Socialism is not the answer.) That is the conversation that we desperately need to have. Because if this current inequality goes on and worsens, we will spiral downward into violence and societal insanity. Social Darwinism is not pretty.
I think we are better than that. Here is one method of having the needed conversations. Check out www.WiseDemocracy.org
2
Gina Kolata focused on the rising all-cause mortality (ACM) for USW (abbreviations from the Case-Deaton article avaialble free on line) as reported by Case and Deaton. But in the 100s of comments at Kolata and in the majority here, the focus of reader comments is not on the rise but on the declining "life situation" for USW.
Since readers are focusing on that larger problem, I urge all of you to examine figure 1 in Case-Deaton showing just how serious the problem of American exceptionalism is.
Figure 1 shows ACM (per 100 000) curves for USW and USH H = Hispanic) and curves for 6 counries including Sweden (SWE).I use SWE for simplicity. The SWE curve is for the TOTAL population as are the other 5.
In 2000 ACM-USW = 375, SWE = 275
In 2010 ACM-USW = 410, SWE = 210
That comparison shows that NYT commenters' focus on the overall situation, not on the upswing observed by Case-Deaton is justified.
In the Times we often see "white-black" comparisons indicating that "whites" are really well off. But in Case-Deaton fig. 1 we see that USW are not at all that well off since the ACM for the TOTAL populations age 45-54 in 6 countries is considerably (FRA) to dramatically (SWE) lower than for the select group USW.
When will we see a report on this mode of exceptionalism?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Since readers are focusing on that larger problem, I urge all of you to examine figure 1 in Case-Deaton showing just how serious the problem of American exceptionalism is.
Figure 1 shows ACM (per 100 000) curves for USW and USH H = Hispanic) and curves for 6 counries including Sweden (SWE).I use SWE for simplicity. The SWE curve is for the TOTAL population as are the other 5.
In 2000 ACM-USW = 375, SWE = 275
In 2010 ACM-USW = 410, SWE = 210
That comparison shows that NYT commenters' focus on the overall situation, not on the upswing observed by Case-Deaton is justified.
In the Times we often see "white-black" comparisons indicating that "whites" are really well off. But in Case-Deaton fig. 1 we see that USW are not at all that well off since the ACM for the TOTAL populations age 45-54 in 6 countries is considerably (FRA) to dramatically (SWE) lower than for the select group USW.
When will we see a report on this mode of exceptionalism?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
5
There are communities in the USA where this is not the case...and many foreign countries...I plan to relocate to one...my solution.
2
The article focused on suicides, but the same rise can be seen in MURDER-SUICIDES, including the tragic mass shootings that grab so much press. With an economy that is more focused on selling bombs and tanks to the world's despots while it ignores our people and infrastructure, in a world where multi-national corporations are people and they can create multi-trillion dollar trade deals that the public can't read, you are going to find more and more people feeling marginalized, desperate, hopeless and suicidal. I doubt any politician or 1%er is going to put the effort and INVESTMENT into people and social safety net until the guns start getting turned on the aforementioned pols & mega rich. We have 300 million disgruntled people who are getting increasingly shafted by the top 100,000 and they have 300 million guns between them. Sooner or later, the chronically depressed and underemployed, broke, in debt and faced with homeless and loss of identity will start training those guns on the leaders who have sold them. Millions of people with nothing to lose roaming the streets, seeking revenge - the NRA's greatest dream come true. At this rate of social decline, I can only imagine how life in the USA will look in 2030. Images of Somalia and Sudan come to mind. I'm not going to be around to see it, but I cringe at the future prospects of American millennials and their kids.
3
Does anyone know of any organizing efforts to expose and defeat age discrimination?
8
Law of supply and demand.
The US allows in one million immigrants every year, on top of the 12 million illegal immigrants who are already here, and the 650,000 H1B visa workers in STEM fields, yet neither political party will do anything about the surplus of workers, which is the reason that Americans cannot find jobs.
Unless anyone thinks that if we froze immigration for five years so the economy and job market had time to stabilize, employment and wages would not rise?
Instead, all we get from the New York Times and our politicians are endless manipulative articles about the plights of migrants, with the accompanying stories about children and no interest in helping our own people.
Despicable.
The US allows in one million immigrants every year, on top of the 12 million illegal immigrants who are already here, and the 650,000 H1B visa workers in STEM fields, yet neither political party will do anything about the surplus of workers, which is the reason that Americans cannot find jobs.
Unless anyone thinks that if we froze immigration for five years so the economy and job market had time to stabilize, employment and wages would not rise?
Instead, all we get from the New York Times and our politicians are endless manipulative articles about the plights of migrants, with the accompanying stories about children and no interest in helping our own people.
Despicable.
8
I still can't believe so many commenters are blaming whites over the age of 45 that somehow voting Republican is the source of all of our problems. I voted for Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and, quite frankly, all three of them have been huge disappointments when it came to addressing needs of an aging white population. The most recent blow came when it was announced that there would be no Social Security increase in cost of living expenses or benefits for 2016. Where was Barack Obama?? Obama didn't make any statement expressing outrage about how seniors were being cheated out of benefits that were rightfully theirs. The silence from the White House was deafening. Unfortunately the message is loud and clear--expect no help from your elected officials. The Democrats are just plain apathetic and the Republicans are determined to keep cutting, chopping and slashing away at the safety nets whenever they can. Getting older is like being on the Titanic--it's every man for himself.
9
When we rid ourselves of the moral catastrophe that is corporate capitalism, older Americans will finally have something to live for.
6
There are dozens of related aspects to this story:
1) Climate change. The projections are for a horrific decline coupled with societal collapse everywhere and now it appears that we may be seeing this horror unfold in the short-term; we may not even be around to see what it does to us in the long-term.
2) The rapidly approaching Technological Singularity. Technology is rendering people not just unemployed, but unemployable as well. When the driverless cars make their way to the market in the next few years, we will immediately see four million people put out of work. The 3D printer will be another job-killer.
3) American youths going to Syria to join ISIS. Looking for answers to this mess, some lunatic's interpretation of what God wants is as good a place as any to get them. [The same goes for Conservatives everywhere, including and especially the US.]
4) The recent plague of mass shootings. [And related to THAT is the corresponding decrease in political assassinations and major riots (ones that involve significant property damage). Our political leaders and titans of industry simply have little to fear anymore, comparatively speaking, which is perhaps why they are acting in the manner that they are.]
Everything about the world lately is beginning to resemble a Hollywood dystopia like "Elysium" or "The Hunger Games" or any of the dozens of flicks that seem to be trying to tap into the dismal zeitgeist.
The bottom line here is that this issue is a symptom, not a disease.
1) Climate change. The projections are for a horrific decline coupled with societal collapse everywhere and now it appears that we may be seeing this horror unfold in the short-term; we may not even be around to see what it does to us in the long-term.
2) The rapidly approaching Technological Singularity. Technology is rendering people not just unemployed, but unemployable as well. When the driverless cars make their way to the market in the next few years, we will immediately see four million people put out of work. The 3D printer will be another job-killer.
3) American youths going to Syria to join ISIS. Looking for answers to this mess, some lunatic's interpretation of what God wants is as good a place as any to get them. [The same goes for Conservatives everywhere, including and especially the US.]
4) The recent plague of mass shootings. [And related to THAT is the corresponding decrease in political assassinations and major riots (ones that involve significant property damage). Our political leaders and titans of industry simply have little to fear anymore, comparatively speaking, which is perhaps why they are acting in the manner that they are.]
Everything about the world lately is beginning to resemble a Hollywood dystopia like "Elysium" or "The Hunger Games" or any of the dozens of flicks that seem to be trying to tap into the dismal zeitgeist.
The bottom line here is that this issue is a symptom, not a disease.
1
There is a new study purporting to show Latinos live longer. In the past, Latinos have been regarded as less likely to be homeless. In criminal law class, the professor told us about a study of why Latino arrestees were less likely to stay in the system: someone at home came to get them. It may be that community is most important, along with a sense of purpose. If you are regarded as garbage, you might take yourself out.
3
@ Marilyn Wise-My comment just accepted points to the graph in the original research report that shows exactly what you refer to. The curve for USH (H = HIspanics) is almost right on top of the curve for the UK (there as in all countries except USA showing all-cause mortality for the total UK population.
You point to something extremely important for researchers to tackle as they probably are.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
You point to something extremely important for researchers to tackle as they probably are.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
I had another thought -- I wonder what percentage of these deaths involve veterans, particularly veterans of the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan. We've all read about the devestation of IEDs, as well as the struggles so many of our veterans have had upon returning to civilian life.
And except for patriotic demonstrations at football and baseball games (some of which were paid for by the Pentagon's PR department), most vets of these wars have been all but ignored not just while they served, but after returning.
Perhaps I'm wrong. But I just have a feeling that military service, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, has not been psychically beneficial even to those who never suffered a scratch.
And except for patriotic demonstrations at football and baseball games (some of which were paid for by the Pentagon's PR department), most vets of these wars have been all but ignored not just while they served, but after returning.
Perhaps I'm wrong. But I just have a feeling that military service, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, has not been psychically beneficial even to those who never suffered a scratch.
2
@ Paul B- You are right on target. A study formulated like the one before us does not pretend to begin to look a a study population using the variable you name - in service or not, where, when and more.
Those are things "we do not talk about". I do not know the research literature on this to know who is making the kind of study you point to.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Those are things "we do not talk about". I do not know the research literature on this to know who is making the kind of study you point to.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Need to move through the statistics and examine these populations to determine what is going on. Most of us are not aware of the suffering. And is this part of what is driving the T-party? That is the anger and frustration that apparently exists on the right?
1
@ Tacomaroma - Tac in order to do that researchers will have to stop focusing on comparisons of "white race" and "black race" and start much more careful studies within groups. How are these behaviors correlated educational level, income, community size and more and then what might causal relationships be? And please note - since one commenter on this series actually wrote that the American "white race" = anglo-saxons. USCB "white race" includes people born in or children of people born in all the Middle Eastern countries-Syria, Iran,Kurdistan, Turkey.
Thanks for raising the question.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Thanks for raising the question.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
1
It occurred to me as I read the comments that one thing is missing- the fact that those over 50 years old are the largest percentage of people in our country. We need some political clout - but more than that, we need to stop looking for help and form our own communities, organizations, "communes", collectives for the services we need, create jobs and work for ourselves. Every new group of immigrants had to do this; I guess we are now the "strangers in a strange land" - except , it is our own land. Doesn't look to me like help from others is coming, so we will need to be our own help.
6
My wife and I have noticed that our friends and acquaintances of that generation, 10 to 20 years younger than ourselves, seem to be different than our generation in regards to alcohol. All these people of whom I speak are doing well economically, at least judging by the cars that they drive, but they want to get drunk, and many want to get very drunk, very often. They have to get up and go to work in the morning so it seems to us to be a very hard way to live but it's still popular. Of course there are drunks of all ages and I have no data. I'm sure the bad economy is at least part of the problem, but I'm not too sure it's the main problem. It could be just the social norms of that cohort.
1
The comments here are bracing -- but if you want to see the flip side, the angry side, that blames everyone but themselves for their problems, check out the comments on this same story in the Wall Street Journal. One commentator stated that white males are the only class productive enough to be, and I quote, "worked to death." He had no conscious awareness of how sad that sounded, that the system had abused him and he didn't know it.
3
Socrates said: Voting Republican is voting for your own demotion.
And in such circumstances, socialism is not a bad word -- it's a vision of a healthier future. With relatives in Scandinavia, I get letters every month from cousins who live in sane societies. We could, too.
And in such circumstances, socialism is not a bad word -- it's a vision of a healthier future. With relatives in Scandinavia, I get letters every month from cousins who live in sane societies. We could, too.
11
In my first submission here I praise the Times for presenting this review of "reader reaction".
Here I point to another element of reader reaction including my own. The original articles by Gina Kolata are about a study referred to in Nancy Wartik's opening sentence as being about "...death among white, middle-aged Americans." The study is available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/10/29/1518393112 Some of the nearly 2000 comments raise a question that the Times will not touch. In simple terms: Why is the state of the" American public always expressed as a comparison of two "races" one white, one black?
I have read the study. Examine fig. 1 in that study and you will see something dramatic: All-cause mortality for "white" Americans age 45-54 is compared with all-cause mortality for everyone age 45-54 in 7 advanced countries, one of them Sweden. The study compares mythical "races" white vs black. Only in America do researchers focus on "race" (black vs white). The data for Sweden are for all of us.
In the 7 advanced countries epidemiologists search for correlations and causes as related to access to medical care education, economy, not "race". I want Gina Kolata to ask researchers, why don't you follow their model?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Here I point to another element of reader reaction including my own. The original articles by Gina Kolata are about a study referred to in Nancy Wartik's opening sentence as being about "...death among white, middle-aged Americans." The study is available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/10/29/1518393112 Some of the nearly 2000 comments raise a question that the Times will not touch. In simple terms: Why is the state of the" American public always expressed as a comparison of two "races" one white, one black?
I have read the study. Examine fig. 1 in that study and you will see something dramatic: All-cause mortality for "white" Americans age 45-54 is compared with all-cause mortality for everyone age 45-54 in 7 advanced countries, one of them Sweden. The study compares mythical "races" white vs black. Only in America do researchers focus on "race" (black vs white). The data for Sweden are for all of us.
In the 7 advanced countries epidemiologists search for correlations and causes as related to access to medical care education, economy, not "race". I want Gina Kolata to ask researchers, why don't you follow their model?
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
2
Larry -- This is about a social phenomenon. We have real social effects from long term discrimination.
There is a still difference in where people live due to segregation. There are significant lifestyle differences from this segregation. There are differences in education and jobs, also due to discrimination. It is pervasive.
The differences are no inherent in "race" or skin color, scientifically. They are inherent in the social reality of the people involved.
Some people can "pass" as a different race than others in their family who are in fact no different. Yet the social effects can be very real.
For some things, it makes sense to talk of race, even if the DNA studies and range of characteristics really don't support the idea as generally (mis)understood.
There is a still difference in where people live due to segregation. There are significant lifestyle differences from this segregation. There are differences in education and jobs, also due to discrimination. It is pervasive.
The differences are no inherent in "race" or skin color, scientifically. They are inherent in the social reality of the people involved.
Some people can "pass" as a different race than others in their family who are in fact no different. Yet the social effects can be very real.
For some things, it makes sense to talk of race, even if the DNA studies and range of characteristics really don't support the idea as generally (mis)understood.
4
Oh please Larry--you live in lily white Sweden which is supposed to be a socialist paradise. Doesn't the government covers all of your needs from cradle to grave??. You don't have to worry about working past retirement age or taking some menial job to supplement your meager Social Security benefits. So please spare me these dreary statistics--they don't help. Give me a break!!!
1
Sharon -- That is not fair. Larry is very much a part of the program in Sweden bringing in refugees in large numbers. Sweden is not lily white, and Larry is at the center of it not being lily white.
Among foreigners, it is precisely the Israel partisans who most object to the influence in Sweden of the non-lily white arrivals in towns in which they are important.
Sweden also has a problem with a rising neo-Nazi party, which is in part a reaction to no longer being lily white.
So spare us.
Among foreigners, it is precisely the Israel partisans who most object to the influence in Sweden of the non-lily white arrivals in towns in which they are important.
Sweden also has a problem with a rising neo-Nazi party, which is in part a reaction to no longer being lily white.
So spare us.
1
First and foremost, I ask all who read the article and the comments that will appear to realize that the present article appears thanks to an action taken by Community Editor Bassey Etim as part of a reply to commenter Greg Donovan's opening sentence stating Greg's view of the value of comments, exactly my view.
Thank you Nancy Wartik for reviewing the comments on the Gina Kolata article and for selecting comments that express concern for our fellow Americans who, unlike me a retiree living a wonderful lfe, are living anything but wonderful lives.
I see in the 11 comments below this comment box that today's readers are also expressing their concern for their fellow Americans. After I submit this I will formulate a second submission that bears not only on the present column but on the nature of the study that led to Gina Kolat's article.
But here, simply praise for Times Reply and thanks to Bassey and Greg. Give us more and deeper such reviews.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Thank you Nancy Wartik for reviewing the comments on the Gina Kolata article and for selecting comments that express concern for our fellow Americans who, unlike me a retiree living a wonderful lfe, are living anything but wonderful lives.
I see in the 11 comments below this comment box that today's readers are also expressing their concern for their fellow Americans. After I submit this I will formulate a second submission that bears not only on the present column but on the nature of the study that led to Gina Kolat's article.
But here, simply praise for Times Reply and thanks to Bassey and Greg. Give us more and deeper such reviews.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Capitalism is corporate America's creed and as it turns out Congress it is just a shill for greed. America has lost its collective and cumulative humanity. All these lives "matter" except human life.
4
Would Soldriver from Calgary be Stephen Harper by any chance?
"We are not owed anything"? What we owe each other -- and our mutual willingness to provide it -- is what makes society work. Otherwise we risk the state of nature that Hobbes imagined (and that Soldriver seems to be fantasizing about).
Who _doesn't_ believe that there are some things owed him or her? Conservatives who loudly oppose welfare still support government subsidized crop insurance, or the military base in their congressional district. The wealthy who object to higher taxes nevertheless demand government support to save insolvent financial institutions.
We pay taxes for roads, defense, Social Security Medicare, and so on under a not-mythical-at-all social contract, and in return, we claim -- rightly and rightfully -- what we are owed as members of civil society.
If we all acted as if nobody owed anybody anything, things would really fall apart. Maybe that's part of the problem in the US today.
"We are not owed anything"? What we owe each other -- and our mutual willingness to provide it -- is what makes society work. Otherwise we risk the state of nature that Hobbes imagined (and that Soldriver seems to be fantasizing about).
Who _doesn't_ believe that there are some things owed him or her? Conservatives who loudly oppose welfare still support government subsidized crop insurance, or the military base in their congressional district. The wealthy who object to higher taxes nevertheless demand government support to save insolvent financial institutions.
We pay taxes for roads, defense, Social Security Medicare, and so on under a not-mythical-at-all social contract, and in return, we claim -- rightly and rightfully -- what we are owed as members of civil society.
If we all acted as if nobody owed anybody anything, things would really fall apart. Maybe that's part of the problem in the US today.
9
Many of those deaths due to liver disease may have been from undiagnosed hepatitis C, not alcohol. More people die from HCV than from HIV, and most people with HCV don't know they have it. Intravenous drug use is the major risk factor for acquiring it, and the age group of this study follows after the high-risk baby boomers born in 1945-1965.
2
For decades now the Republican party has been using racially coded language to divide this country. Welfare queens, Takers, Losers, the 47%, all those "others" are making "real Americans" suffer.
So what happens when one of those self-identified "real Americans" find themselves in need? I imagine there is a deep loss of identity and despair over becoming one of the losers.
As Fran Leibowitz once eloquently said, "If you are a straight, white, gentile male in this country and you are not President of the United States, you have failed."
It's time we realized we are all in this together.
So what happens when one of those self-identified "real Americans" find themselves in need? I imagine there is a deep loss of identity and despair over becoming one of the losers.
As Fran Leibowitz once eloquently said, "If you are a straight, white, gentile male in this country and you are not President of the United States, you have failed."
It's time we realized we are all in this together.
13
'" "If you are a straight, white, gentile male in this country and you are not President of the United States, you have failed."'
We have only failed if that was our goal in the first place.
Logically nearly all cannot be become president. There are lots of people who try and never make it, Alf Landon, McCain, Kerry, etc.
Thus one adjusts their life expectations goals to a reasonable level. I retired without debt. I saved enough to educate my son so he could graduate without debt, I am married 43 years. I'm respected in my community and content. I've also has 14 surgeries since 1999 and am disabled. I also care for person who is depressed and OCD. Yet I remain cheerful and find things to do every day that are accomplishments. If that's failure I wish everyone was as successful at failing.
We have only failed if that was our goal in the first place.
Logically nearly all cannot be become president. There are lots of people who try and never make it, Alf Landon, McCain, Kerry, etc.
Thus one adjusts their life expectations goals to a reasonable level. I retired without debt. I saved enough to educate my son so he could graduate without debt, I am married 43 years. I'm respected in my community and content. I've also has 14 surgeries since 1999 and am disabled. I also care for person who is depressed and OCD. Yet I remain cheerful and find things to do every day that are accomplishments. If that's failure I wish everyone was as successful at failing.
On the Diane Rehm show in discussing this topic, someone wondered why death rates for blacks and Latinos weren’t also rising. The answer, I suspect, is that the economic despair and societal indifference to the suffering of others is nothing new to minorities. This is news because white men are dying. My hope is that by crossing over into the mainstream these problems and others like opiate addiction have a better chance of being addressed by the political system.
We are reaping the rewards of a winner-take-all culture where a few are enriched and risk is increasing the responsibility of the individual. The bulwarks of the middle class from unions to pensions to bowling leagues are either long-time targets of economic and political elites or quaint anachronisms overtaken by technology that mistakes connectivity for human-to-human connections.
The answers must come from organized pressure on the political system. Yet the powerful have purchased elected officials across the country. The future looks bleak.
We are reaping the rewards of a winner-take-all culture where a few are enriched and risk is increasing the responsibility of the individual. The bulwarks of the middle class from unions to pensions to bowling leagues are either long-time targets of economic and political elites or quaint anachronisms overtaken by technology that mistakes connectivity for human-to-human connections.
The answers must come from organized pressure on the political system. Yet the powerful have purchased elected officials across the country. The future looks bleak.
7
Many of the comments were heart rending. others angry, and many disturbing for what they say about the present state of the country.
It's just a fact that as individuals, we differ in our responses to adverse change. Some of us attack, some acquiesce, some blame ourselves, and some blame others. But it makes me think about the rise of the Tea Party, which is primarily an older white phenomenon, and whose rise in popularity as a political approach is correlated with the election of President Obama.
Speaking broadly, American history reflects attitudes and beliefs of white Europeans, which have formed the basis of the dominant culture. That is shifting, and there isn't much historical or cultural experience for a white culture to draw to effectively adapt. In that regard, one can view the Tea Party as part of a coping strategy, albeit one that is appears to be immature as it is ineffective with regard to governance in the long run.
It's just a fact that as individuals, we differ in our responses to adverse change. Some of us attack, some acquiesce, some blame ourselves, and some blame others. But it makes me think about the rise of the Tea Party, which is primarily an older white phenomenon, and whose rise in popularity as a political approach is correlated with the election of President Obama.
Speaking broadly, American history reflects attitudes and beliefs of white Europeans, which have formed the basis of the dominant culture. That is shifting, and there isn't much historical or cultural experience for a white culture to draw to effectively adapt. In that regard, one can view the Tea Party as part of a coping strategy, albeit one that is appears to be immature as it is ineffective with regard to governance in the long run.
3
Yes, what sad commentaries to the to "Death Rates Rising for Middle Aged White Americans Study Finds" and related articles. It seems the US is truly in decline and it is a dismal state of affairs in this country. It is well documented that the gap between the rich and poor is widening and the middle class is shrinking therefore we as a society should not be surprised that people are driven to despair. Furthermore, it should come as no surprise that these middle aged white Americans seek relief of their emotional pain from drugs and or alcohol.
As one commentator replied, do our politicians even read articles likes this? I do not think so otherwise they would not make statements like we need to cancel Obamacare or cut social security and so forth. This holds true especially for the Republican politicans who are truly beholden to the very wealthy and big businesses. Yes our society seems doomed.
As one commentator replied, do our politicians even read articles likes this? I do not think so otherwise they would not make statements like we need to cancel Obamacare or cut social security and so forth. This holds true especially for the Republican politicans who are truly beholden to the very wealthy and big businesses. Yes our society seems doomed.
10
Like many readers, I too was moved by many of the comments however, I was not shocked at the news. There are many contributing factors involved in this trend but, I believe that the economic disparity is one of the chief contributors. An individual's economic situation can trigger any number of responses. Hopelessness can trigger alcoholism, depression leads to substance abuse and our dependency on our mobile devices has created an alternate reality which for many which simply cannot be sustained.
At sixty I have many worries and most have to do with my own survival down the road. Fortunately, I have a job that seems to be semi-stable and keep physically fit and continue to try and save. Perhaps it is time for a commune reboot. With the explosion in popularity of tiny houses, it would seem plausible to find land and create a tiny home commune where food could be grown and people are concerned with each other's wellbeing.
At sixty I have many worries and most have to do with my own survival down the road. Fortunately, I have a job that seems to be semi-stable and keep physically fit and continue to try and save. Perhaps it is time for a commune reboot. With the explosion in popularity of tiny houses, it would seem plausible to find land and create a tiny home commune where food could be grown and people are concerned with each other's wellbeing.
2
Left unchecked, capitalism devolves into naked exploitation of the working class. These mortality statistics reflect the casualties of a job market in which employers can and do demand everything (including youth) in exchange for far too little. Even the federal government has adopted a de facto policy of age discrimination in the guise of "succession planning." Blue collar workers are lucky to find a living wage. To avoid paying benefits, employers routinely hire more employees and limit their hours to part time. Many employees young an old alike consider themselves fortunate to work 40-50 hours a week for wages that leave them below the poverty line. American history teaches us that these conditions will get much worse before they get better. See, e.g., Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.
9
There is a great crime of this generation which rivals big tobacco. The NY Times has yet to report on it. That crime is the rise of opiates and the devastation it has caused and it all came down from 1 company and the family which owns it.
It is time for The Oxycontin Clan to pay it's bills. The Sacklers should be disgorged of the blood money which accounts for it's 14 Billion dollar fortune and the funds should be set aside for treatment programs and compensation to the States devastated by this epidemic.
It is time for The Oxycontin Clan to pay it's bills. The Sacklers should be disgorged of the blood money which accounts for it's 14 Billion dollar fortune and the funds should be set aside for treatment programs and compensation to the States devastated by this epidemic.
3
There is a level below which some people just won't go. Pushed that far, they'd rather check out by suicide.
However, that is not the only choice. Some instead decide to take with them whoever they blame for their downfall. These are murder-suicides, not just suicides.
Some in other countries have done public suicides as explicit protest. That has been from the Vietnam monks of the 1960's to the Tunisian vendor who kicked off the Arab Spring there.
So far, we have not seen actual political assassinations for this reason, at least not in this country, but we've seen people kill those closer to their lives for this reason.
Things could get worse, much worse. This is nowhere near as bad as it can get.
However, that is not the only choice. Some instead decide to take with them whoever they blame for their downfall. These are murder-suicides, not just suicides.
Some in other countries have done public suicides as explicit protest. That has been from the Vietnam monks of the 1960's to the Tunisian vendor who kicked off the Arab Spring there.
So far, we have not seen actual political assassinations for this reason, at least not in this country, but we've seen people kill those closer to their lives for this reason.
Things could get worse, much worse. This is nowhere near as bad as it can get.
7
Thank you, NYTimes,
You did the public a great service in bringing the reality home. The so-called Tea Party is claiming that they are bringing America back. Back to whom, back to what? Societies was supposed to exist to make a place for people, young and old. Now, the facts come out and the poor white guy in the South finds that he has just as little as the blacks that he used to look down on and say "Why don't they get a job, do something for themselves for a change."
BMW changed the ethos of their company to allow for older workers to stay on the work rolls, they changed the work conditions so that it was more comfortable for older workers as they valued the experience and skills of these workers. America treats personnel like fad clothes, in with the youngest and toss away the older.
There is also some thought that needs to be brought to the table about workers doing things to stay mentally and physically fit, great physical fitness is good for the brain also. Being a couch potato, watching Fox rave about the bad people on the welfare does no one any good. Giving up some TV and doing some work is great therapy, even doing some hard physical stuff, it does wonder for the body and mind. Do some hard volunteer work to charge up the body but start at a pace your body can handle. Take some free tech classes online, not just get depressed at the garbage on FaceBook.
The best hand that we will ever find is located at the end of our own arm, use that arm to fire the GOP. LOVE
You did the public a great service in bringing the reality home. The so-called Tea Party is claiming that they are bringing America back. Back to whom, back to what? Societies was supposed to exist to make a place for people, young and old. Now, the facts come out and the poor white guy in the South finds that he has just as little as the blacks that he used to look down on and say "Why don't they get a job, do something for themselves for a change."
BMW changed the ethos of their company to allow for older workers to stay on the work rolls, they changed the work conditions so that it was more comfortable for older workers as they valued the experience and skills of these workers. America treats personnel like fad clothes, in with the youngest and toss away the older.
There is also some thought that needs to be brought to the table about workers doing things to stay mentally and physically fit, great physical fitness is good for the brain also. Being a couch potato, watching Fox rave about the bad people on the welfare does no one any good. Giving up some TV and doing some work is great therapy, even doing some hard physical stuff, it does wonder for the body and mind. Do some hard volunteer work to charge up the body but start at a pace your body can handle. Take some free tech classes online, not just get depressed at the garbage on FaceBook.
The best hand that we will ever find is located at the end of our own arm, use that arm to fire the GOP. LOVE
3
I'm a manager in an office of a large institution. After many retirees were not replaced over the last few years, most of us were doing the work formerly done by 3 or 4 people. Last year the administration decided we could finally hire one more person to help out - leaving us still with less than half the staff we had just a few years ago.
We conducted a national search and identified an excellent pool of candidates. As the direct supervisor, my first choice was a woman with several years of professional experience in our field who could have hit the ground running and made an immediate contribution that would have been a tremendous help. I would guess her age to be late 30s or early 40s.
Over my objections our assistant director, who knows next to nothing about the work done in my office, hired a young woman just out of graduate school. She is in her mid-20s and is bright, attractive and articulate, but she has no experience and needs extensive training before she can make a real contribution.
I can think of no clearer example of age discrimination, but I saw my predecessor forced out of her job at about the age of 60, so I knew better than to complain and put my own job at risk - although I still think my job is at risk and that my employer is looking for a way to force me out as soon as possible.
We conducted a national search and identified an excellent pool of candidates. As the direct supervisor, my first choice was a woman with several years of professional experience in our field who could have hit the ground running and made an immediate contribution that would have been a tremendous help. I would guess her age to be late 30s or early 40s.
Over my objections our assistant director, who knows next to nothing about the work done in my office, hired a young woman just out of graduate school. She is in her mid-20s and is bright, attractive and articulate, but she has no experience and needs extensive training before she can make a real contribution.
I can think of no clearer example of age discrimination, but I saw my predecessor forced out of her job at about the age of 60, so I knew better than to complain and put my own job at risk - although I still think my job is at risk and that my employer is looking for a way to force me out as soon as possible.
83
So many Americans are church-goers... I wonder how much of that is because there is no other social safety net. What a frightening, merciless country.
8
The American people are to blame for their own angst. We were bequeathed a wonderful democracy, improved upon by many wise leaders including the Founders, Lincoln, the Roosevelt's, the Suffragettes, Dr. King etc. We happened to colonize and take over the world's richest grain belt that has been an economic engine. Two oceans kept us apart from national squabbles that could embroil us at any moment - and we could choose which of those we should engage in. But then we got lazy and greedy. We elected Reagan over Carter and Bush over Gore and the country spun away from the American notion of equality with the entitled white men getting more and more of the spoils. Now poor and less educated white men are suddenly facing an unsure future in a world that is ill suited to providing them with jobs. Time to start thinking a little deeper before you pull that Republican lever next election.
97
Al Gore won the popular vote. I get your point, though.
3
Very unfortunate that the article ended with a blame the victim pronouncement.
It would be far better to ask our presidential candidates what they will do to address the problems of those who are suffering in the current economic circumstances.
It would be far better to ask our presidential candidates what they will do to address the problems of those who are suffering in the current economic circumstances.
18
I'm afraid all the GOP candidates would call that a "gotcha" question and then advise you to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps — an act which, if you think about it for just a second, is physically impossible.
4
Well... if you don't believe in gravity, Darwin, or climate change--anything is possible. The Koch Bros. seem to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast, every day.
1
The scold from Calgary lives in a humane and sane country and has no business criticizing Americans who can't find work or work that pays enough to live on.
28
Most people, understandably sympathetic, are tiptoeing around an obvious truth. The cohort under discussion here, lower middle-class adult whites, forms the core of the "base" that the Republican party relies upon. The legislators they elect enact legislation--for simple-minded ideological reasons or due to donor demands--that quickly and tangibly degrades the culture and induces economic contraction while escalating the rate of upward redistribution of wealth. A consequence of their "voting agaInst their best interests" in some cases is desperation, drugs, alcohol, and suicide, with easy access to legal and illegal firearms a contributing factor. The other consequence is fiery resentment, fanned by rightwing media, against immigrants, the LGBT community, women, unions, people of color, and, of course, government. Those who complain that "both sides are the same," are, given the significance of this research, dead wrong.
30
It's evidence of how successful the media and Republicans have been in persuading the lower middle-class white males to vote against their own interests.
2
There are so many issues this brings to the fore -
1. As we become more prosperous, we become more selfish, even less friendly. Poor people in remote areas will share whatever little they have with you. Not because they are wiser or virtuous, simply because they have so little materially that your goodwill makes them wealthier? It did not help various Native American tribes or African, Asian and European tribes who were wiped out or enslaved. Wealth affects our character. Without guidance the effect is negative.
2. Young men with well-paying jobs thought they were bullet-proof. They alienated family, their wives (why not play the field?) and eventually their kids. Then as they get old, they are vulnerable and they have burned their bridges. Plus in their youth they thought everyone else was a moocher, and voted accordingly. Now there is no safety net for them, not even job security from ageism. And they have a lot of guns and ammo handy. You end up using what you have got. Be careful what you accumulate and what you discard.
People who have lost jobs and struggle to find new ones - put a raised bed in your yard and grow tomatoes, beans, peas. Make a poly-tunnel in fall and winter. It will not generate income, no, but it will give you the joy of having created something with your efforts, a salve from the rejections and fruitless endeavors. Your dignity is #1, and growing food and flowers taps into the forces led to our conversion from animals to civilized beings. Try it.
1. As we become more prosperous, we become more selfish, even less friendly. Poor people in remote areas will share whatever little they have with you. Not because they are wiser or virtuous, simply because they have so little materially that your goodwill makes them wealthier? It did not help various Native American tribes or African, Asian and European tribes who were wiped out or enslaved. Wealth affects our character. Without guidance the effect is negative.
2. Young men with well-paying jobs thought they were bullet-proof. They alienated family, their wives (why not play the field?) and eventually their kids. Then as they get old, they are vulnerable and they have burned their bridges. Plus in their youth they thought everyone else was a moocher, and voted accordingly. Now there is no safety net for them, not even job security from ageism. And they have a lot of guns and ammo handy. You end up using what you have got. Be careful what you accumulate and what you discard.
People who have lost jobs and struggle to find new ones - put a raised bed in your yard and grow tomatoes, beans, peas. Make a poly-tunnel in fall and winter. It will not generate income, no, but it will give you the joy of having created something with your efforts, a salve from the rejections and fruitless endeavors. Your dignity is #1, and growing food and flowers taps into the forces led to our conversion from animals to civilized beings. Try it.
9
As one friend of mine said today, poverty has a body count. I am of this generation, too, at 52 years old. I am - and many are - without steady work, and I have a PhD. These numbers are no mystery. The uptick started in 1998, when NAFTA and so-called welfare 'reform' kicked in, in other words when people with no more than high-school diplomas lost their jobs, because companies sent their factories overseas. Oh, not to mention overturning Glass-Steagall, to pave way for banking crisis.
If we don't elect someone like Bernie Sanders for President in 2016, the inequalities will persist. That - along with easy access through prescriptions and on the street of hard drugs and limited access to any health care - will lead to more addiction and suicide. This is not rocket science.
The report also adds this generation (all of us born in the 1960s) has not seen an uptick in the same problems in any other developed countries. In other words, this is entirely preventable. We are making a choice to throw away people, and we can unmake that choice.
If we don't elect someone like Bernie Sanders for President in 2016, the inequalities will persist. That - along with easy access through prescriptions and on the street of hard drugs and limited access to any health care - will lead to more addiction and suicide. This is not rocket science.
The report also adds this generation (all of us born in the 1960s) has not seen an uptick in the same problems in any other developed countries. In other words, this is entirely preventable. We are making a choice to throw away people, and we can unmake that choice.
29
The problems started with Reagan in the 1980s.
Law of supply and demand. There are too many workers and too few jobs and the jobs there are low skilled and low paying.
Both political parties see the solution to a low demand for workers to be...wait for it...importing even more workers.
Nothing will change until our immigration policies change.
Law of supply and demand. There are too many workers and too few jobs and the jobs there are low skilled and low paying.
Both political parties see the solution to a low demand for workers to be...wait for it...importing even more workers.
Nothing will change until our immigration policies change.
1
This is inaccurate generalization. Let's get more specific. There aren't too many workers in general and too few jobs. There are too many unskilled workers and too few low skilled jobs.
There are over 3 million vacant positions in these fields: http://fortune.com/2014/12/02/10-fields-with-the-most-job-openings/
Rather than focusing on keeping people out of our country, we should be focusing on getting the education and training necessary to be desirable in the current job market. Not the job market several decades ago. I realize this is easier said than done, but I know people taking classes at community college, working extra shifts, basically doing anything in their power to make this happen while other people sit around complaining about lack of opportunity.
There are over 3 million vacant positions in these fields: http://fortune.com/2014/12/02/10-fields-with-the-most-job-openings/
Rather than focusing on keeping people out of our country, we should be focusing on getting the education and training necessary to be desirable in the current job market. Not the job market several decades ago. I realize this is easier said than done, but I know people taking classes at community college, working extra shifts, basically doing anything in their power to make this happen while other people sit around complaining about lack of opportunity.
I suspect that this finding is reflective of more than just a lagging economy and difficulty finding jobs. There is an epidemic of drug related deaths sweeping the country such that drug overdose is now the county's number one cause of accident-related deaths, having surpassed motor-vehicle accidents a few years ago. The increase is due largely to opiate-related deaths (heroin and prescription pain killers) which, although they affect all communities, are particularly popular among white people.
I am an emergency physician in California, and we see these cases all the time. It is also a devastating problem in my native Massachusetts. Unfortunately, we physicians also bear some of the responsibility for this problem, as we continue to write prescriptions for these medications even in situations where they have no proven benefit (such as chronic musculoskeletal pain that is not related to cancer). This practice likely creates some new addictions (though that has never been proven) and certainly allows prescriptions medications to be diverted to feed the addictions of those that are already dependent.
This is a huge problem that requires a multi-faceted solution that would also likely involve tighter regulation on the pharmaceutical industries that profit from the overuse of these medications.
I am an emergency physician in California, and we see these cases all the time. It is also a devastating problem in my native Massachusetts. Unfortunately, we physicians also bear some of the responsibility for this problem, as we continue to write prescriptions for these medications even in situations where they have no proven benefit (such as chronic musculoskeletal pain that is not related to cancer). This practice likely creates some new addictions (though that has never been proven) and certainly allows prescriptions medications to be diverted to feed the addictions of those that are already dependent.
This is a huge problem that requires a multi-faceted solution that would also likely involve tighter regulation on the pharmaceutical industries that profit from the overuse of these medications.
30
An excellent point. I've been wondering about the added stress of unresolved chronic pain on top of all the other burdens that people face. A dear friend who has had severe PHN (post herpetic neuralgia) for years described it as rowing a small boat in a sea of constant pain. He has great inner resources and the defenses of close, caring friends, a job, and an excellent education to draw on. We need to put some money into chronic pain management that is not about transferring mega bucks into big Pharma's bottom line.
1
"we continue to write prescriptions for these medications even in situations where they have no proven benefit (such as chronic musculoskeletal pain that is not related to cancer)."
And what do you propose to do for the person with Neuropathy after spinal stenosis and blown discs, arthritis so severe that bursas have to be drained regularly and they've lost 90% of nerve conductivity through the nerves to their legs and feet, where every step is pure pain as tough walking on sharp stones, when everything from meditation to Yoga to acupuncture has been tried and failed?
Nothing?
And what do you propose to do for the person with Neuropathy after spinal stenosis and blown discs, arthritis so severe that bursas have to be drained regularly and they've lost 90% of nerve conductivity through the nerves to their legs and feet, where every step is pure pain as tough walking on sharp stones, when everything from meditation to Yoga to acupuncture has been tried and failed?
Nothing?
1
When my grandparents were born, opium was sold over the counter in every drug store, yet we didn't have these problems. This national malaise today is a direct consequence of corporate capitalism, media pimping of narcissism and greed, and moral indifference. The Neo-Republican Party is the piano player in that capitalist brothel.
1
Yes, but . . . if you listen at all to the GOP Presidential candidates, it isn't the government's role to help during trying, stressful times.
The fact is, the Horatio Alger metaphor, in which every person needs to pull him or herself up by the bootstraps, long ago lost its relevance to today's economic and cultural realities. When we have PhD.'s making coffee at Starbucks or driving for Uber, the disconnect between myth and reality could not be more starkly apparent.
But only one political party thinks this is even a problem in America, and that party is losing ground to hate, fear, loathing of the "other" and the lure of more tax cuts for people who aren't you.
The fact is, the Horatio Alger metaphor, in which every person needs to pull him or herself up by the bootstraps, long ago lost its relevance to today's economic and cultural realities. When we have PhD.'s making coffee at Starbucks or driving for Uber, the disconnect between myth and reality could not be more starkly apparent.
But only one political party thinks this is even a problem in America, and that party is losing ground to hate, fear, loathing of the "other" and the lure of more tax cuts for people who aren't you.
73
The point might be that Our Society, Our Culture ....The America of the last 1/2 century was Wrong. Madison Avenue is wrong; Wall Street is wrong; greed and self aggrandizement is wrong. The 'Burbs are wrong. In this case, those that road the fantasy of white male exceptionalism are most vulnerable, especially the least educated, least skilled.
Too many people bought into that narrative. Now those that are left behind or can't cope are suffering. All kinds of Rx and other dependencies pervade the entire population.
We need a healthy sustainable life style. Cars, War, Oil and McDonald's is NOT it.
Too many people bought into that narrative. Now those that are left behind or can't cope are suffering. All kinds of Rx and other dependencies pervade the entire population.
We need a healthy sustainable life style. Cars, War, Oil and McDonald's is NOT it.
12
An important excerpt from the original paper by Anne Case and Angus Deaton:
"Although the epidemic of pain, suicide, and drug overdoses preceded the financial crisis, ties to economic insecurity are possible. After the productivity slowdown in the early 1970s, and with widening income inequality, many of the baby-boom generation are the first to find, in midlife, that they will not be better off than were their parents. Growth in real median earnings has been slow for this group, especially those with only a high school education. However, the productivity slowdown is common to many rich countries, some of which have seen even slower growth in median earnings than the United States, yet none have had the same mortality experience. The United States has moved primarily to defined-contribution pension plans with associated stock market risk, whereas, in Europe, defined-benefit pensions are still the norm." (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online Nov. 2)
My response posted on our blog at Physicians for a National Health Program:
"We need public policies that distribute the gains in productivity to the workers rather than to the rentiers... We need to ensure adequate education opportunities for all, including industrial arts and training for the service industries, along with assurances of adequate incomes in those fields. In general, we need policies that serve the social good."
"Although the epidemic of pain, suicide, and drug overdoses preceded the financial crisis, ties to economic insecurity are possible. After the productivity slowdown in the early 1970s, and with widening income inequality, many of the baby-boom generation are the first to find, in midlife, that they will not be better off than were their parents. Growth in real median earnings has been slow for this group, especially those with only a high school education. However, the productivity slowdown is common to many rich countries, some of which have seen even slower growth in median earnings than the United States, yet none have had the same mortality experience. The United States has moved primarily to defined-contribution pension plans with associated stock market risk, whereas, in Europe, defined-benefit pensions are still the norm." (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published online Nov. 2)
My response posted on our blog at Physicians for a National Health Program:
"We need public policies that distribute the gains in productivity to the workers rather than to the rentiers... We need to ensure adequate education opportunities for all, including industrial arts and training for the service industries, along with assurances of adequate incomes in those fields. In general, we need policies that serve the social good."
30
@ Don McCanne-Just as preface, note that most of the 44 comments are concerned with the overall problems faced by men in this age group, not with the specific findings of the researchers. I have 2 comments waiting all day for review and in one of them I point to fig. 1. There is the larger public-health story that your blog post may deal with in part.
The figure shows all-cause mortality age 45-54 1990-2010 for USW and USH (Hispanics) and for 6 advanced countries. USW are worse off than USH and worse off than the full populations of the other 6.
That is the story that the NYT has not yet given us. The standard excuse given for the USA's poor standing appears in all articles mentioning infant and maternal mortality appears in replies to my comments: "Well Larry, the poor US record is because we have blacks and Sweden does not." Not so.
I hope to see you commenting regularly on every NYT article on health and especially those where "race" is used as the number 1 variable of interest.
Since "white race" of USCB includes Arabs, Kurds, Iranians, Egyptians and other ethnic groups it would be interesting to see how these ethnicities are faring, a step towards a better explanation of USW mortality upswing.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
The figure shows all-cause mortality age 45-54 1990-2010 for USW and USH (Hispanics) and for 6 advanced countries. USW are worse off than USH and worse off than the full populations of the other 6.
That is the story that the NYT has not yet given us. The standard excuse given for the USA's poor standing appears in all articles mentioning infant and maternal mortality appears in replies to my comments: "Well Larry, the poor US record is because we have blacks and Sweden does not." Not so.
I hope to see you commenting regularly on every NYT article on health and especially those where "race" is used as the number 1 variable of interest.
Since "white race" of USCB includes Arabs, Kurds, Iranians, Egyptians and other ethnic groups it would be interesting to see how these ethnicities are faring, a step towards a better explanation of USW mortality upswing.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen-USA-SE
Grand Old Poverty is working.
Voting Republican is voting for your own demotion.
Don't do it unless you're a masochist, a suicider, or a 0.1%greedhead looking for a raise.
Voting Republican is voting for your own demotion.
Don't do it unless you're a masochist, a suicider, or a 0.1%greedhead looking for a raise.
87
Sadly, the people of Kentucky have recently aided and abetted their own demise.
12
The conundrum is that many Republicans and diehard ones at that are themselves among the poor and disenfranchised of this country. I've always had difficulty understanding this. Why are their politics so self defeating and how can they be engaged by the Democratic party?
Our country has changed rapidly socially and economically since the sixties and many people have been left behind, especially less educated white people who had assumed their work would provide adequate prosperity and security for their entire lives. They now know they were mistaken. Our political class has enabled the exportation of millions of American jobs to countries with low wages and weak laws. That's been good for the investor class but disastrous for the working class. Add the decline of small towns, now with too few jobs, the destructive impact of a news media focused on murder and mayhem as if every tragedy will happen to everyone, and the isolation caused by fear and even paranoia, it's no wonder many people are in despair. Unfortunately we don't have a political system that can respond to this problem. It only responds to the desires of the affluent and privileged who finance campaigns and buy influence. We have one party, the republicans, that actively works against the broad shared interests of most Americans and seems committed to preventing effective government action of any kind except for engaging in more wars and running up more debt for our grandkids to pay. Of course, we have no one to blame but ourselves for when we vote for them.
58
Unfortunately, those of us who vote for more enlightened policies have to live under the rule of those who vote otherwise.
Soldriver from Calgary seems to sum up the prevailing opinion of extremists when he tells us not to complain.
18
Plus in Calgary, he/she benefits from universal healthcare that Canada provides its citizens.
4
I cannot help but wonder how much social media has or may be contributing to this phenomenon. Friends/acquaintances/family members sharing fabulous/exciting/brag-worthy highlights of their lives on social media sites can be almost aggressive in their "look-how-much-better-my-life-is-than-yours". My husband and I got off Facebook almost as quickly as we joined for exactly this reason. How can this aggressively in-your-face competitive posting culture not fail to inject people with insecurity and a sense of failure at life? I have worried about social media's effect on mental health for years, and it was my very first thought when I saw the title to this article.
40
I was a member of Facebook for about 20 minutes. As soon as I saw that it had grabbed my mail list and emailed everyone in it and invited them to join I closed it down.
1
Socialism looks pretty good to me. Strong labor unions, not for profit heath care, job security, affordable higher education. What does 'social welfare state' mean? What does welfare mean? Could it be the well being of a state's citizens?
Go in a low wage retail work place and see the number of workers over the age of 45. Working in unregulated and cruel environments during the prime of life when they should be at the top of their earning years. We let our high paying jobs be sent overseas and now we are paying a real and terrible price. Lost human dignity and well being is price for all the tons of cheap landfill crap we have carted home.
Go in a low wage retail work place and see the number of workers over the age of 45. Working in unregulated and cruel environments during the prime of life when they should be at the top of their earning years. We let our high paying jobs be sent overseas and now we are paying a real and terrible price. Lost human dignity and well being is price for all the tons of cheap landfill crap we have carted home.
86
"Socialism looks pretty good to me. Strong labor unions, not for profit heath care, job security, affordable higher education."
There are no labor unions under Socialism. The first casualties under the Soviets and German National Socialists were the unions. Unions are not needed because the abuses of the Bourgeoisie are eliminated under Socialism.
The medical care is rationed. Those who cannot continue to profit the state are no longer needed. There's only so much money that can be allotted to health care and it must go to those who will do the state good.
Job security and education are tools of the state for the state. Those who do not score high enough are routed into the trades. That education is free as is the university for the high scorers. You don't get a choice of college without that high score.
The state knows best what is good for you. It's Socialism.
There are no labor unions under Socialism. The first casualties under the Soviets and German National Socialists were the unions. Unions are not needed because the abuses of the Bourgeoisie are eliminated under Socialism.
The medical care is rationed. Those who cannot continue to profit the state are no longer needed. There's only so much money that can be allotted to health care and it must go to those who will do the state good.
Job security and education are tools of the state for the state. Those who do not score high enough are routed into the trades. That education is free as is the university for the high scorers. You don't get a choice of college without that high score.
The state knows best what is good for you. It's Socialism.
I couldn't bring myself to read the original article when I saw it, here or anywhere else. I am in my late 50s and have been unemployed for more than five years. Until my teens, I grew up in a lower-middle class home barely above the poverty level at times, but was imbued with a strong work ethic. I can honestly say the idea of suicide never entered my mind for any reason until the past 4 years, as I try not to burden my far away family by hiding the current details of our life from them.
I assiduously sought employment to no avail when my position in a small company was eliminated. We have little debt, but due to health issues, both mine and my husband's, adding to depression and anxiety about income and keeping the utilities on, we no longer have any savings. I manage by taking my maintenance meds only every other day or so. I grocery shop in tears, often eating cheap, generic cold cereal so I can say I'm not hungry, and without his knowledge, make sure my husband, who works in chronic pain to support us, is fed.
Reading the news regarding the priorities of the far right, whose supporters densely surrounded me, I know very real fear. The NYT article about the few, very wealthy who account for the majority of contributions to the 2016 presidential campaigns, made me physically ill and increasingly anxious. Often forced to ignore my feelings of duty to stay informed by taking myself out of the news cycle. I'm feeling the need to do so again very soon.
I assiduously sought employment to no avail when my position in a small company was eliminated. We have little debt, but due to health issues, both mine and my husband's, adding to depression and anxiety about income and keeping the utilities on, we no longer have any savings. I manage by taking my maintenance meds only every other day or so. I grocery shop in tears, often eating cheap, generic cold cereal so I can say I'm not hungry, and without his knowledge, make sure my husband, who works in chronic pain to support us, is fed.
Reading the news regarding the priorities of the far right, whose supporters densely surrounded me, I know very real fear. The NYT article about the few, very wealthy who account for the majority of contributions to the 2016 presidential campaigns, made me physically ill and increasingly anxious. Often forced to ignore my feelings of duty to stay informed by taking myself out of the news cycle. I'm feeling the need to do so again very soon.
100
Molly --I'm so sorry. What you write here is so meaningful --I wish that the people with the big bank accounts or the big pundit platforms could read this--as well as your senator and congressperson, because they cannot imagine the reality you are coping with. I also understand your comments about taking yourself out of the news cycle because I have done that myself. I no longer listen to NPR, the local news nor subscribe to the local paper. Too much anxiety mixed with futility, excuse, and stupidity. All I can say is that I deeply admire your strength and I hope you will not give up. Your articulate, problem-solving stamina I hope will be recognized by someone who can employ you. You deserve better meals and an easier night's sleep.
11
Please try to get food stamps or go to your local food bank.
Molly, your post has haunted me since I read it. I pray that you will reach out to your family for help.
2
It seems to me that in this very succinct essay, Robert Reich gets down to the brass tacks of just how we arrived at this miserable place:
http://www.economonitor.com/blog/2015/11/the-rigging-of-the-american-mar...
http://www.economonitor.com/blog/2015/11/the-rigging-of-the-american-mar...
5
Soldriver says,
" ..moaning about injustice.. how we have all been somehow cheated in some mythical contract that says we are owed some level of comfort and dignity..News flash. We are not owed anything. If we want to make it different, we need to make it different...this should be a call to resolve, to invention, and to community!"
News Flash: WE, in a democracy, do believe we are owed some measure of comfort and dignity. WE in this country have these ideas from 2 mythical documents- the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. (There are also other "mythical" documents" that predate the 2 mentioned). WE are the community, the American people, and when the financial crisis hit, WE did have a call to resolve from many quarters ( our President, for one, a leader in our community). Our other community leaders in Congress didn't think we needed to spend much to encourage invention and support certain members of our community. WE certainly jumped in to help the upper echelon of our community, but we failed so many people who are members of our community.
Soldriver, you have a very simplistic view of what has been happening in our community these past years. If a person lives in a thriving area he/ she can get a job or create a business. But when whole areas are stagnant or hit by financial disasters, its quite a different situation. That's when WE, the large American community, is needed with resolve and invention (these involve money) to aid our community members.
" ..moaning about injustice.. how we have all been somehow cheated in some mythical contract that says we are owed some level of comfort and dignity..News flash. We are not owed anything. If we want to make it different, we need to make it different...this should be a call to resolve, to invention, and to community!"
News Flash: WE, in a democracy, do believe we are owed some measure of comfort and dignity. WE in this country have these ideas from 2 mythical documents- the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. (There are also other "mythical" documents" that predate the 2 mentioned). WE are the community, the American people, and when the financial crisis hit, WE did have a call to resolve from many quarters ( our President, for one, a leader in our community). Our other community leaders in Congress didn't think we needed to spend much to encourage invention and support certain members of our community. WE certainly jumped in to help the upper echelon of our community, but we failed so many people who are members of our community.
Soldriver, you have a very simplistic view of what has been happening in our community these past years. If a person lives in a thriving area he/ she can get a job or create a business. But when whole areas are stagnant or hit by financial disasters, its quite a different situation. That's when WE, the large American community, is needed with resolve and invention (these involve money) to aid our community members.
42
It is incomprehensible to me that this would be seen in terms of "owing". A society divides its total wealth in a certain way. People stating that this distribution is unfair and just plain dumb are not claiming they are "owed" anything, they are saying that the distribution causes premature deaths of many, great misery, and giant useless piles of money in a few bank accounts that could make life much better for millions.
"Owing"? Does a wolf hunting a deer think he is "owed" anything? What a strange idea.
"Owing"? Does a wolf hunting a deer think he is "owed" anything? What a strange idea.
8
So now you've putting our citizenry in the realm of predatory animals? So, this is how low you think the American socierty has sunk to be equated with the wild.
I have been unemployed, except for 13 months, since December 2010. I am 63 and have worked my whole life. Luckily I had saved money and received a small inheritance from my Mom.
As a business to business salesperson my career has been spent searching for opportunity, looking for work is not that much different from finding customers. Lately I have taken a break and have been reviewing and rethinking my career, I still want to work.
This is what I do now. First is that I try to find something to be grateful for, an example would be the Affordable Care Act, thank you President Obama you are the Man. Second is that I have my health and statins. I also have a few friends to call and annoy. I volunteer at a local dairy and make cheese one day a week, I get paid in cheese and good earthy company. I also do volunteer work with the local hiking clubs in the area a couple days a week.
I left Santa Cruz CA because there was nowhere to rent. The housing in the bay area has become so expensive, the only way to describe it is as stupid, I could not stand looking for another rental and packed up and left to come home to NY.
I have friends and when I talk to them I hear their pain on being alone, overwhelmed with bills, taxes, no work, no home, or just old.
Tomorrow I will spend the day in the woods cleaning brush off of trails, it is not going to rain. 35 years ago while in the Mudd Club or Danceteria I never thought I would be here now.
As a business to business salesperson my career has been spent searching for opportunity, looking for work is not that much different from finding customers. Lately I have taken a break and have been reviewing and rethinking my career, I still want to work.
This is what I do now. First is that I try to find something to be grateful for, an example would be the Affordable Care Act, thank you President Obama you are the Man. Second is that I have my health and statins. I also have a few friends to call and annoy. I volunteer at a local dairy and make cheese one day a week, I get paid in cheese and good earthy company. I also do volunteer work with the local hiking clubs in the area a couple days a week.
I left Santa Cruz CA because there was nowhere to rent. The housing in the bay area has become so expensive, the only way to describe it is as stupid, I could not stand looking for another rental and packed up and left to come home to NY.
I have friends and when I talk to them I hear their pain on being alone, overwhelmed with bills, taxes, no work, no home, or just old.
Tomorrow I will spend the day in the woods cleaning brush off of trails, it is not going to rain. 35 years ago while in the Mudd Club or Danceteria I never thought I would be here now.
71
Peter, I love your positive attitude. I am 60 myself and work under the constant threat of being laid off. Among us who are lucky enough to still be employed who isn't? I too am grateful that I had the foresight and ability to save money and that the ACA exists in case I am let go and can't find another well paying job. Things won't be great, but I'll have a roof over my head and food on the table, which is more than a lot of people will have. The expectations our parents had for retirement and our own have sadly drifted downward.
1
The NYT has been doing a great job with long form reporting. Another important story is in today's paper about how small towns use petty fines against homeowners to increase revenue. Of course these homeowners who have some issues with their homes are precisely the people who can least afford to pay these fines in the first place. Instead of fines, why not form community assistance programs where neighbors help neighbors to clean, paint, and beautify their properties? This is an alternative to the punitive society we currently live in.
And what does this have to do with early death from despair and substance abuse? Everything in the world.
And what does this have to do with early death from despair and substance abuse? Everything in the world.
54
Soldriver, the commentor of the last paragraph is wrong, on so many levels.
"We are not owed anything." Wrong. We didn't ask to be here. We are owed a chance.
"Sitting around moaning about injustice, loss and how we have all been somehow cheated..." The social contract between employer and employee that resulted largely from the efforts of unionization of the workforce from 1930 to the mid 60's unraveled and continues to fray. Those who are pleased with this have the Republican Party to thank. May they live in interesting times.
I was doomed to be a "born again" Christian before I was born the first time. But thanks to an atheist father, grandfather, and the writings of Mark Twain, I, too, am not in thrall with religion. I do not deny that there are church communities where the welfare of all trumps the welfare of self, as pointed out by Toro2oo, but they become fewer, dwindling with each passing year, as the "cost" of admission to these societies becomes ever more dear in term of individual thought and freedom.
I am among the leading edge of the baby-boomers, a Vietnam vet, and I am lucky. I am retired, financially comfortable but hardly "wealthy." A cousin only a few years younger than I put a bullet through his head two years ago. He had been fired from a job where he made more in a year than I ever did. He had a new Harley sitting in his driveway, an empty refrigerator, and a trash can filled with empty vodka bottles.
There but for who knows why, go I.
"We are not owed anything." Wrong. We didn't ask to be here. We are owed a chance.
"Sitting around moaning about injustice, loss and how we have all been somehow cheated..." The social contract between employer and employee that resulted largely from the efforts of unionization of the workforce from 1930 to the mid 60's unraveled and continues to fray. Those who are pleased with this have the Republican Party to thank. May they live in interesting times.
I was doomed to be a "born again" Christian before I was born the first time. But thanks to an atheist father, grandfather, and the writings of Mark Twain, I, too, am not in thrall with religion. I do not deny that there are church communities where the welfare of all trumps the welfare of self, as pointed out by Toro2oo, but they become fewer, dwindling with each passing year, as the "cost" of admission to these societies becomes ever more dear in term of individual thought and freedom.
I am among the leading edge of the baby-boomers, a Vietnam vet, and I am lucky. I am retired, financially comfortable but hardly "wealthy." A cousin only a few years younger than I put a bullet through his head two years ago. He had been fired from a job where he made more in a year than I ever did. He had a new Harley sitting in his driveway, an empty refrigerator, and a trash can filled with empty vodka bottles.
There but for who knows why, go I.
52
I am older, and as I get older, I get more and more subtle reminders that I will die. I will die without having accomplished all of the things in life that I have wanted to do- my lust list (non sexual, people; don't freak). I am caring for a loved one with dementia and I know that a day will come when this person will not "know" me any more.
And yet I tend to look forward to my life more and more these days.
Happy. Even joyful.
Why am I getting more happy and settled as my life winds down, and in many ways, gets harder and more painful? (Hint- I'm not deluded or demented. My IQ is well north of 100. I am well aware of what is going on in this world).
Why?
And yet I tend to look forward to my life more and more these days.
Happy. Even joyful.
Why am I getting more happy and settled as my life winds down, and in many ways, gets harder and more painful? (Hint- I'm not deluded or demented. My IQ is well north of 100. I am well aware of what is going on in this world).
Why?
11
I think it is because you are a caregiver for a loved one and have found deep meaning and purpose in life.
8
We need a social democracy. Work for all, vacation, family planning, fair wages for all (remember that money issues are a primary cause of family instability), and beautiful public spaces and transportation are the solutions. We must build a lived sense of solidarity at the household, street, neighborhood, city, state, nation, and international levels. Please crush the Republican party.
153
Absolutely right.
1
Add single payer healthcare to that list.
3
If only the politicians would read the comments.
The average American is not concerned with Benghazi, political emails, or building walls to keep out immigrants.
What people want is a chance to work and receive a decent living wage; they are tired of barely making it.
Americans want family time and relationships. Americans are tired of student loans, foreclosures and bathroom size apartments.
Americans are being asked to do more, while getting less in return.
Overpriced rents, increasing cost of food, combined with jobs which leave no time to simply “live”.
Is it really surprising so many Americans are rejecting the rat race?
The average American is not concerned with Benghazi, political emails, or building walls to keep out immigrants.
What people want is a chance to work and receive a decent living wage; they are tired of barely making it.
Americans want family time and relationships. Americans are tired of student loans, foreclosures and bathroom size apartments.
Americans are being asked to do more, while getting less in return.
Overpriced rents, increasing cost of food, combined with jobs which leave no time to simply “live”.
Is it really surprising so many Americans are rejecting the rat race?
130
The average American is concerned about the massive influx of immigrants, as there are no jobs for US workers and they must come first.
It is one thing to welcome immigrants when there is high employment, it is a far different animal to bring in millions upon millions of workers who will drive down wages, due to the law of supply and demand.
This country was built by immigrants and we need fresh ideas to keep us strong and thriving, but not low skilled uneducated immigrants, not H1B workers, not anyone who will be a burden to the people, and not right now.
The blame lies not on the immigrants themselves, but on both political parties, who have sold out American workers to appease their corporate donors, who care only about keeping executive pay high by driving wages down.
It is one thing to welcome immigrants when there is high employment, it is a far different animal to bring in millions upon millions of workers who will drive down wages, due to the law of supply and demand.
This country was built by immigrants and we need fresh ideas to keep us strong and thriving, but not low skilled uneducated immigrants, not H1B workers, not anyone who will be a burden to the people, and not right now.
The blame lies not on the immigrants themselves, but on both political parties, who have sold out American workers to appease their corporate donors, who care only about keeping executive pay high by driving wages down.
1
I was most troubled by the degree of physical pain this group experiences. What is the explanation for that? And how can it be alleviated? I wish someone would study this dimension more fully. So far, the most profound analysis of the connection between bodily pain and powerlessness--in torture, war, poverty, and in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures--is Harvard professor Elaine Scarry's book, "The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World" (1985). That would be a good starting point.
2
My comment that white men in general may have less of a solid family support system in place when troubles raise their ugly head was never published, and I was extremely disappointed because living where I do, I see the differences in approach to family, and I also addressed the exact topic of the article.
Latin and Black families have more of a tendency to stay together than White families, and is not unusual for Latin and Black families to live together or in extremely close proximity to one another, yet this social characteristic is not as prevalent in White families. While Whites, especially LGBT Whites, tend to create their own families. These non-blood related families do not tend to stay together as solidly as blood related families.
For these reasons, when troubles raise their ugly head, I believe white males are the least prepared group in America of be able to face adversity, because quite simply, statistically they have the highest probability of having no support group. They say isolation kills, and as a white man who is lucky enough to have both blood and my own self created family, I still feel along and reluctant to ask for help from others. Moreover, the times I have asked for emotional help from mu so called non-blood related family, the response has been lukewarm,
I am currently facing adversity in the extreme. Yet, even though i supposedly have a support group, I cannot help bit feel I am going it alone - which is truly the basis of the article.
Latin and Black families have more of a tendency to stay together than White families, and is not unusual for Latin and Black families to live together or in extremely close proximity to one another, yet this social characteristic is not as prevalent in White families. While Whites, especially LGBT Whites, tend to create their own families. These non-blood related families do not tend to stay together as solidly as blood related families.
For these reasons, when troubles raise their ugly head, I believe white males are the least prepared group in America of be able to face adversity, because quite simply, statistically they have the highest probability of having no support group. They say isolation kills, and as a white man who is lucky enough to have both blood and my own self created family, I still feel along and reluctant to ask for help from others. Moreover, the times I have asked for emotional help from mu so called non-blood related family, the response has been lukewarm,
I am currently facing adversity in the extreme. Yet, even though i supposedly have a support group, I cannot help bit feel I am going it alone - which is truly the basis of the article.
33
Nowhere in the article does it say that this phenomena is limited to males.
3
Please have the courage to reach out to family and friends. Some may not respond to your fears and concerns, but others will offer to help. Most folks have faced extreme adversity; it is part of the human condition. Sharing our story with others, as you have done here, creates empathy and connection.
5
Philip, you say many true things in your comment. I wish it was a New York Times pick. Are there any support groups in your area? Unfortunately, maybe not - but if there are, it is amazing how helpful they can be (also, the ones that I went to a few years back were free, suggested donation of $1-$5 for those who could afford it). There should be more of these things around the country - people really need to be able to talk to others. And nothing you said sounded dismissive of women's suffering - white males are in a category that society has not really recognized as suffering in a unique way. Maybe if you contact your local chapter of A.A. they will have suggestions for you for other group meetings in your area (not related to substance abuse, something that better fits your needs). I just quickly looked up Pompano Beach, FL and it does look like there are some resources, possibly, nearby. Really hoping you get more of the help and support that you need.
2
The comments here are too, too sad. The inability of middle class men and women to secure jobs with a living wage in the US today is the direct consequence of a globalized economy from which our workers have no protection. The trope of the individual who pulls himself up on his own is simply hogwash but millions of Americans have bought into it. Worse yet, they blame those who are in even worse economic shape than they are for their circumstances.
When the middle class voter educates himself about the many ways in which the Republican Party has been undermining his security for years he might be ready to join with others to save what's left of his democracy and an economy that works for everyone. There is something truly pathetic about our country when the new Speaker of the House can issue a "work" schedule for the next year that includes only about 180 days of the year dedicated to work and he makes a big stink about not taking the job unless he gets time with his family. Meanwhile these same representatives are categorically opposed to raising the minimum wage and giving paid family time for ordinary workers. Don't look at those Representatives behind the curtain because you might discover that they have no heart, they always claim to know what's best for everyone else, they are the laziest of workers and their chief skill is sincere lying. Both parties may get funds from deep pocketed donors but only one Party consistently blames everyone else and has no solutions.
When the middle class voter educates himself about the many ways in which the Republican Party has been undermining his security for years he might be ready to join with others to save what's left of his democracy and an economy that works for everyone. There is something truly pathetic about our country when the new Speaker of the House can issue a "work" schedule for the next year that includes only about 180 days of the year dedicated to work and he makes a big stink about not taking the job unless he gets time with his family. Meanwhile these same representatives are categorically opposed to raising the minimum wage and giving paid family time for ordinary workers. Don't look at those Representatives behind the curtain because you might discover that they have no heart, they always claim to know what's best for everyone else, they are the laziest of workers and their chief skill is sincere lying. Both parties may get funds from deep pocketed donors but only one Party consistently blames everyone else and has no solutions.
169
Great comment! States my thoughts exactly.
7
Here we see the first amendment at work. If the first amendment doesn't lead to a remedy, we will see how many people try the second amendment. The entire perspective of this country must be changed from corporate capitalism, narcissism and greed back to Judeo-Christian socialism, or we will all drown in blood.
I also was struck by the quality of the comments, and also the depth of pain and despair they communicated. How do we in fact live when as older americans we cannot find work to save our lives? Every online employment application requires you to provide your birthday. How is that even legal? They also demand to know how much money you have made previously. That is guaranteed to get you into the rejection pile.
Friends and I have discussed buying land and living together in communes, growing as much food as possible, taking care of each other. At one time, that seemed utopian, now it just seems desperate and a sad way to end your life.
The solution is to not accept this as inevitable. It will require a vision of an inclusive and compassionate society, with fairness in hiring and a real social safety net. We may not accomplish everything in our lifetimes, but we can make things better for a lot of people.
Friends and I have discussed buying land and living together in communes, growing as much food as possible, taking care of each other. At one time, that seemed utopian, now it just seems desperate and a sad way to end your life.
The solution is to not accept this as inevitable. It will require a vision of an inclusive and compassionate society, with fairness in hiring and a real social safety net. We may not accomplish everything in our lifetimes, but we can make things better for a lot of people.
90
I agree.
I'm "only" 37, unmarried and childless. I'm saving money not for retirement, which will surely never come for my generation, but to buy a house with a decent plot of land. The space will be there to grow food and possibly build small dwellings for relatives that are otherwise unable to survive on their own.
One one hand, it seems a bit depressing, on the other, it's a return to the simplicity of life humanity experienced in every century before the last couple of hundred so I'm sure we'll survive...
I'm "only" 37, unmarried and childless. I'm saving money not for retirement, which will surely never come for my generation, but to buy a house with a decent plot of land. The space will be there to grow food and possibly build small dwellings for relatives that are otherwise unable to survive on their own.
One one hand, it seems a bit depressing, on the other, it's a return to the simplicity of life humanity experienced in every century before the last couple of hundred so I'm sure we'll survive...
2
"Friends and I have discussed buying land and living together in communes, growing as much food as possible, taking care of each other. At one time, that seemed utopian, now it just seems desperate and a sad way to end your life."
I have discussed this with friends also. It strikes me as a supportive and maybe enjoyable way to end out days.
I have discussed this with friends also. It strikes me as a supportive and maybe enjoyable way to end out days.
1
Steve, Peter: I have to ask, what do the statistics really mean? When compared with other countries and races within our own country, more Whites are dying of some form of suicide. Something terrible is going on.
I would hypothesize that the root cause is the disappearance of middle class jobs that a non-high, high school or even Community College grad can do. There just aren't enough of them. The demands of the current workplace are semply outpacing the rate of resilient ability to change that most of those folks can deal with---without significant support and help!!
One form might be a monthly 'wage' payment at the $15/hr rate or other minimum payment conditioned on entering into education or trades training that will eventually support them. (Builders are currently desperate for trained folks, as are some machine manufacturers.) The education and trades costs should also be covered. Not to mention counseling for drug and alcohol abuse. I suspect that is used to deaden the psychic pain of becoming "useless", thrown out of the workforce into the 'trash', with no compassionate help in sight.
I would hypothesize that the root cause is the disappearance of middle class jobs that a non-high, high school or even Community College grad can do. There just aren't enough of them. The demands of the current workplace are semply outpacing the rate of resilient ability to change that most of those folks can deal with---without significant support and help!!
One form might be a monthly 'wage' payment at the $15/hr rate or other minimum payment conditioned on entering into education or trades training that will eventually support them. (Builders are currently desperate for trained folks, as are some machine manufacturers.) The education and trades costs should also be covered. Not to mention counseling for drug and alcohol abuse. I suspect that is used to deaden the psychic pain of becoming "useless", thrown out of the workforce into the 'trash', with no compassionate help in sight.